It is well known that after a porous material has been exposed to moisture or water, some of the moisture will be absorbed by the material, and that thereafter evaporation of the moisture from the material will produce cooling of the material.
This principle has been applied to the cooling of a bottle of wine. To this end, a hollow cylindrical unglazed porous terra cotta vessel is provided. In use, the vessel is flushed with water and then emptied, and the wine bottle is then inserted into the vessel, and evaporation of the water cools the vessel and the wine bottle.
Although the physical principle involved is very old, its application to a salad bowl has been found to be uniquely advantageous, as will be discussed below.
Salad greens are typically cut in small batches on the day of intended use, because the cut greens tend to wilt and dry out when stored in conventional vessels. It would be more efficient if several days' supply of greens could be chopped all at once and stored for use on successive days.
Frequently, after a salad dressing has been added to the chopped greens and the salad has been mixed, it is found that too much salad has been prepared. Typically, leftover salad deteriorates rapidly even when stored at normal refrigerator temperatures. This problem is caused partly by the fact that the bowl from which the salad is served warms up to room temperature during the meal and before the leftovers are stored away.
As will be seen below, the salad bowl of the present invention is useful in relieving the above-discussed problems, making possible a new technique for the management of salad preparation, serving, and storage.